Consumer advocates warn of credit card skimming at local gas stations

Consumer advocates are warning drivers living in Central Texas about card-skimming at Central Texas gas stations.

Author:
KCEN

Published:
4:13 PM CDT March 16, 2017

Updated:
6:21 PM CDT March 16, 2017

Consumer advocates are warning drivers living in Central Texas about card-skimming at Central Texas gas stations, where thieves have been stealing credit and debit card numbers.

Seasoned criminals can attach skimming devices to a pump in less than a minute. And, as soon victims swipe their cards, all their sensitive information is uploaded directly to the device.

"They look exactly like the pump itself, and that's part of the problem," Better Business Bureau Regional Director Adam Price said. "It's very hard to detect. The key thing here is that it's so hard to trace. And, it's hard to catch the bad guys because they will come and collect those units when you're not expecting it

On Thursday, police in Lampasas were still investigating after three credit card abuse cases were reported their Friday. All the victims filled up at the same gas station before funds were wiped from their accounts.